The Car and Truck Fleet and Leasing Management Magazine

California Gives $9M for Highway EV Fast Chargers

The California Energy Commission will distribute nearly $9 million in grants to install DC fast chargers along major state routes, so electric vehicle drivers can travel from San Diego to Oregon.

The grant funding will go to Chargepoint Inc., EV Connect Inc., NRG EV Services LLC., and Recargo, Inc. These companies will install 61 DC fast chargers at 41 sites along major routes on Interstate 5, Highway 99, and Highway 101. The fast chargers can fully charge a vehicle in 20 to 30 minutes.

Forty of the sites will have at least one Level 2 charger, and one site will have two Level 2 chargers that allow most vehicles to fully charge in four to eight hours.

The commison also approved $12.6 million in funding to the Natural Gas Vehicle Incentive Project (NGVIP), which offers incentives for the purchase of natural gas vehicles. The funding for NGVIP is intended to reduce the wait list and fund future applications.

Last year, the commission allocated more than $11 million to recipients to purchase a natural gas vehicle they would use in California for at least three years. These incentives can help fleet managers replace gasoline and diesel vehicles with cleaner alternatives.

The grants for the incentives are funded through the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program, which aims to reduce California’s use of petroleum-based fuels and increase the use of alternative fuels and advanced vehicle technologies.